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Mozy

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Blog Entries posted by Mozy

  1. Mozy

    5 on 5 and Crease Crashing

    By Mozy,

    The Canucks so far this season have relied on a powerplay that was top 3 in the league and they were making teams pay for taking penalties. As the red hot power play has cooled so have the Canucks winning ways and goal scoring. In games the Canucks haven't had a chance to work the man advantage, they have struggled to find the back of the net because of their lack of aggression in getting the puck to the net.

    Riding a hot powerplay, the Canucks 5 on 5 offense was non-existent and they weren't aggressive. Time and time again we watched other teams crash the crease and as a result, good things happen. The Canucks looked to have finally learned that last night as their scoring woes were thrown out the window. The Canucks offense right now with out Daniel Sedin and the host of others injured is one dimensional and plays an overly defensive game. The Canucks conservative play has been their detriment on nights where one player doesn't stand out and single handedly win the game.

    Against the Avalanche the Canucks finally figured out for themselves that crashing the crease, going to the net, and not backing off is the key to victory. It seems whenever a goalie faces the Canucks they get hot. Or have an outstanding game trying to out duel Luongo. The Canucks key to victory is crashing the net. They don't have to be dirty like some teams, but they're a fast team that utilizes their speed to get back up ice and then fall short by not going into the crease. Henrik got two of his three goals by going to the net, Bernier was left wide open in front, and Hansen potted his in similar fashion.

    The Canucks showed us a glimpse of the offense and the style of play that we've come to expect from a team which on paper is one of the best and well balanced teams in the league. With players finding their own while injuries run rampant, the Canucks have to find a way to win 5 on 5. The Canucks in their recent three game losing streak would get frustrated without the man advantage and it showed in their lack of goals. In the 3 game losing streak they managed to score just 3 goals. The Canucks, victims of a terrible schedule have a week between games and have lots of time to take what they did in Denver, and make sure they utilize that same play, mentality, and style of play to victimize the Avalanche in what stretches the definition of a "home and home".
  2. Mozy
    This weekend was a big weekend for the Canucks, their fans, the record books and King Henrik himself. Henrik's play has been phenomenal this season. Even when "slumping" on the road he managed to pull things together on the tail end of the trip and end up at a point per game pace. His assault on the record books this year has been nothing short of impressive and here's a break down of what he's done.

    Canucks All Time Assists Leader: On Saturday Henrik tied Trevor Linden's all time assists record with his 415th assist on a feed to none other than his brother Daniel. Because of that it only seemed fitting that he should break the assist record on an assist to his brother again as the two got Vancouver on the board early in their Sunday affair with the Flames. Henrik's 416 assists marks a new Canucks franchise record and the impressive thing is he's done it in 425 fewer games and our beloved Trevor Linden.

    All Time Scoring Center: Henrik's record tying assist also marked his 551st point making him the Canucks all time leading scorer over former Canucks center Thomas Gradin. While Gradin did it in exactly 100 fewer games, his point per game average over his career is something I think Henrik will catch up to in years to come.

    Career Bests: So far this season Henrik has broken his career bests for goals and points and sitting with the league lead in assists in the NHL it wouldn't be unexpected for him to break his single season assists record too. He's positioned himself to hit the 30 goal plateau for the first time in his career and with 13 games to go this season it'll mark another achievement for him in this season that's already seen him rewrite his professional resume with his improved play.

    Single Season Assists Record: Henrik's league lead in assists is 65. His Canucks record for assists in a season is 71. With 13 games to go, and the pace at which he's racking up points, coupled with the fact that a majority of games are at home, he's giving Canucks fans another milestone to countdown to and get excited over.

    Canucks Plus/Minus Record: Last year Willie Mitchell was on pace to beat the Canucks single season plus/minus record and fell short at the end of the year. The record of +35 held by Marek Malik and Pavel Bure is set at the end of an 82 game schedule so Henrik has 13 games to make it happen. Henrik's plus/minus is right now sees him tied with his brother Daniel (fittingly) at +35 and the team lead. With their dominant 5-on-5 play and the way, they've put themselves in a good position yet again.

    Single Season Points Record: This is a little bit more of a stretch, but the post wouldn't be complete without mentioning it. If you do some simple math, Henrik's right now on pace for 112 points. Pavel Bure currently holds the Canucks records for most points in a single season at 110. The Canucks haven't had a 100 point scorer since the last time they had a 90 point scorer which was back in the 2002-03 season when Naslund finished the year off with 104.

    NHL Points Race: Henrik's play at home has been nothing short of dominating. With the majority of his games at home and with Ovechkin in his sights, the NHL points race is going to come down to the wire. He sits a few points away from Ovechkin and with a potential Ovechkin suspension looming Henrik could really take over the standings over the course of the next week. It's not unreasonable to consider when you look at the way Samuelsson's finding the back of the net and they way the Sedins have always played off each other.
  3. Mozy
    When the Canucks got Andrew Alberts at the deadline he was in now way a replacement for Willie Mitchell, but as a depth guy he's got to step up and fill the void. In the Canucks' last game Alberts got a little lost and followed the wrong object down the ice after the puck drop.

    Now I've noticed for a guy that's only been around for 3 or 4 games he's unfortunately been in the wrong place one too many times and it looks like he's been the one at fault on a handful of goals thus far. Unlike others though I'm not quite ready to throw him under the bus. To be honest, not many people are throwing him under the bus just yet, but I started thinking a little about Alberts after someone jokingly said "That's it, we need to trade Alberts."

    Alberts is coming onto a defence that's very typically West Coast. The three previous teams he played for were all Eastern Conference teams and as we all know the Eastern Game is a much different style than that played here on the West Coast. The Canucks are also a team with a blue line in shambles. Some of our blue line pairings have looked down right bizarre. Our patchwork defence hasn't really had time to adjust because between the callings up and down of Baumgartner, Lukowich, and the injuries to Mitchell, Rome, and Bieksa the blue line really hasn't seen very many consistent pairings in a while. If you throw into the fact that the Canucks are already a team with a ridiculous amount of chemistry it's clear that Alberts just needs a few more games to learn the Canucks system.

    Alberts needs a little more time to mesh with this team. His head and his heart are in the right place. In his first game AV made an interesting choice to place him on the PK on a 5-on-3 kill and he looked good on the ice. He was hustling all night, he was being physical and what impressed me the most is after Seabrook decked Raymond Alberts came to his aid as if the two had been playing on the same team for the last 3 years. I was thoroughly impressed with the way he played in that first game because he was playing hockey as if he'd been in a Canucks uniform all season. Alberts isn't the kind of deadline deal player that pans out in his first game the way guys like Wolski and Mueller did in their first games after this year's deadline. Once the blue line sorts itself out and he gets a steady partner you can be sure that his 6 foot 5, 220 lbs is going to pay dividends.
  4. Mozy

    Blue Line Breakdown

    By Mozy,

    The Canucks blue line is supposed to be one of the best in the league. With names like Salo, Bieksa, Mitchell, Edler and Schneider, the Canucks on paper boast a blue line that should be amongst the leagues best. Gillis builds his teams from the net out and on paper this team is rock solid, but as we approach the quarter way-mark of the season, the Canucks defense has been shaky at best, and the odd injury aside, the Canucks blue line has been the one of the healthiest parts of the team. Gillis stocked up on blueliners in the offseason in anticipation of losing many a man game to blue line injury, but with the exception of Salo, no blue liner has had an in season injury that’s kept him out. (Schneider was out before the season started).

    Edler has been having an off season. He’s pocketed a handful of assists, but his play lacks confidence, and he’s making mistakes we never would have seen him make last year. Routine gaffs at the blue line, getting caught up ice, and the biggest problem is as a puck moving defenseman, he’s not moving the puck. His breakout passes are suffering and his whole game is off kilter because of his lack of confidence. He’s taking bad shots on the PP, and it doesn’t help that he’s counted on to be one of the defensive leaders on the team. After a career year last year it can be expected that he wouldn’t necessarily repeat, but his sub par play has really been amplified by a defense that’s been sub par as a whole.

    Salo is the only blue liner that’s gone down to injury this season. It was expected though, so it’s not really a surprise. When he’s out, the Canucks PP suffers, and it’s record suffers, and the numbers show that when the Finn is in the game he brings stability to the power play and his shot provides the Canucks offense with another dimension. With that in mind, the Canucks blue liner hasn’t scored in over 25 regular season games. It’s great to have a shot, but offensively he’s not contributing like he’s expected to.

    Bieksa has done what Bieksa always does. He’s been an offensive defenseman who needs to work a little more on being defensive. His play is fine, it’s unlikely he’s ever going to change into some mind blowingly good shut down guy, but the Canucks need him to turn back up his physical game. This is a team that isn’t stacked with tough guys, grit, or bone crushers and the reality is he falls into that category. The Canucks don’t need him fighting all the time, or taking stupid penalties, but Bieksa needs to throw the body some more and change his physical game. The Canucks don’t have the size other teams do and they need their physical players to be even more physical than before.

    Schneider has come in and he’s done what’s expected of him. He’s shooting the puck well, he’s not a defensive liability, but his plus minus is speaking louder than his play right now. He hasn’t had enough games in my opinion to really succeed or fail.

    Mitchell our shut down defenseman has been anything but that this season. He’s backing off the puck, and as we saw in St. Louis, he backed off one play and when you give a player the open shot from the top of the circle you’re just asking for trouble. Willie’s struggles are a result of the struggles of the entire defence.

    Ehrhoff has been a diamond in the rough. Offensively and defensively he’s not what I expected when we snagged him in that steal from the Sharks. He’s cooled off offensively of late, but his smooth play makes him one of better defenseman so far this season. I like everything I’ve seen from him so far and the fact that we have him locked under contract for another couple of years means when Mitchell is a FA this season, Ehrhoff might replace him.

    O’Brien is doing what O’Brien does. Doing the wrong thing at the wrong time. He never scores, he rarely picks up any points, and he’s hardly hitting. So why are we keeping the 1.7 million dollar wonder around? O’Brien’s job needs to to be physical. He can’t be taking stupid penalties, and poking his stick where he has no business poking it, but O’Brien has to be part of the Canucks physical presence, he needs to hit and he needs to get gritty.

    The Canucks defense in general need to step up in more ways than one. Each player has their own issues to overcome, but if the defense can start to click this team’s dynamic changes instantly.


  5. Mozy
    <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2009/11/nov1709_chbsmall_smallt.jpg" class="imageFloatLeftFramed">

    Off the bat if it's not clear yet I'll let it out, I'm one of the biggest proponents to getting Kovalchuk at the deadline as a rental for this team. Heck I'd be over the moon if we could trade for him and get something of it, but there are several complications that come up and over the past week in talking to <a href="http://opiatedsherpa.com">The Opiated Sherpa</a> and my friend <a href="http://twitter.com/mechanixfetch">@MechanixFetch</a> I think there are somethings that need to be laid down as far as ground work for the Kovalchuk Pipe Dream as far as a long term stay for the Russian goes.

    The Cap

    It's no secret that Kovalchuk wants a gajillion dollars. Okay, he wants something in the area of 10 million a year. The Canucks are already locked up for 6 million per Sedin, and 5 million for Luongo, and that's before even considering re-signing Kesler or do you let him walk? Even still, barring Kovalchuk signing a 30 year contract that was front loaded just so that his seasonal cap hit was low enough there's no way we could sign him at the price he wanted. Even if he took less, we're still talking enough money that it doesn't look feasible.

    Team Chemistry

    One of the biggest issues with bringing in Kovalchuk is where do you slot him. He's a shoot first winger and the first instinct is to put him with the pass first Sedins. But why mess with Burrows? So do you put him on the second line? Kesler, Raymond and Kovalchuk sure would be a sweet line, but then you have Demitra and Samuelsson to deal with and after being snubbed by the Swedish Olympic team I hardly think Samuelsson will take being relegated to the 3rd line.

    The other important thing which might tinker with the locker room is how do you tell your franchise players, the ones you couldn't afford to pay more, or the ones you pay 10 million dollars in a single year (Luongo), that you're going to bring in a player that warrants more money? How do you tell the Sedins they're only worth 6 million and then throw 10 at Kovalchuk?

    The Vigneault Project

    The bottom line is Kovalchuk isn't a Vigneault player. He's not defensive minded, he's shoot first (something this team needs, but still) and he's a lone ranger. He doesn't fit AV's style of play and mould and while his offense is a thing of beauty he's your typical Russian (nothing racial or derogatory meant here) hockey player and he's in many ways exactly like Ovechkin (minus the physical play). He's just not exactly the kind of guy that's going to back check as hard as AV wants him to. With that in mind that's not to say it wont change. We have to remember that he has played on a team where there haven't been many other stars and if he was brought to an environment with other players that can actually play we might see a change. His play on the Olympic team this year will be a really good eye opener as to what Kovalchuk looks like when he's on a team with other stars.

    The Gillis Era

    Gillis has preached a system of speed, youth, and built a team around players that buy into his system. This ties in to the Vigneault system of play and if Kovalchuk doesn't fit one mould, he's not going to fit the other. Gillis goes out after players who serve multiple facets of the game and players that aren't one dimensional. Kovalchuk is a pure goal scorer and unfortunately on a team run by Mike Gillis that might not fly. There's no doubt Kovalchuk is a talented player and I would love to see him on this team, but there are so many things that would have to change in order for him to work on this team it just doesn't look probable.

    If you put aside all that we'd have to trade to get Kovalchuk, as a long term stay it just doesn't look like it would be a good idea. As a rental, if the price was right, I'd say go for Kovalchuk in a heart beat. On the power play, skating with Kesler and Raymond, that could be a thing of beauty. The deadline's still a ways away so we have time to see how things unfold. I doubt that we'll see any significant injury, but this season we've been hit by injuries no one saw coming and maybe there just might be a way to fit the Russian sniper in.

    <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2009/11/nov1709_mozy_small.jpg" class="imageFloatLeftFramed">Richard Loat writes for Canucks Hockey Blog and is a fan of the underdog – first Bryan Allen, then Alex Burrows, and now Jannik Hansen. His passion for the Canucks led to the Canucks Hockey Blog and a lot of #Canucks tweets on his Twitter account.
  6. Mozy
    The Canucks head into the windy city having not done half bad on this road trip. With a win tonight they can finish no worse than .500 on the road trip. When you consider who we've played and the length of the trip I'd say that's not half bad. Come to think of it, we really should be well above .500, but when you run into goalies like Halak who are just blind on nights there's not much you can do. The Canucks losses haven't been bad losses and I think that's something to reflect upon once this road trip is over.

    Tonight the Canucks go for win number 40. Now lets throw things into perspective. The Canucks are sitting at 39-22-2. They are one win away from 40 wins and it's game 64 tonight. Two seasons ago the Canucks total wins were 39. Lets look at this a little more. The Canucks have 19 games to play and to hit 50 wins they would need to go 11-8. That's a winning percentage of .578, not unattainable when you look at the Canucks winning percentage over the season which through game 63 is .619.

    So, let say the Canucks hit 50 wins. This will be the first time the Canucks have ever broken that 50 win plateau and it would set a new franchise record. The previous franchise record is 49 wins set by none other than the 2006-2007 Alain Vigneault Canucks which started their season on the blockbuster trade by then GM Dave Nonis that saw Roberto Luongo bring Lu's to this city. Oh, and that Lukas Krajicek kid came over too, but the Lu's weren't for him.

    We cribbed earlier in the season about not having over time losses, but when you look at the pace the Canucks have been winning at, and really the pace they've been dominating with, it's no surprise that they're close to this milestone. With an offense ranked 4th in the league and 3rd in the West, this is really the best poised Canucks team we've seen in a while.

    As the Canucks go for the big 4-0 tonight we'll also get to see Andrew Alberts suit up in a Canucks uniform for the first time. He has several ties to this team before joining which is interesting. He played college with Cory Schneider, played in Boston with Andrew Raycroft and Yan Statsy (who ironically was also picked up at the deadline) and he played internationally representing the US on a team with Ryan Kesler. The 28 year-old handles the puck like a train, but also hits like a train. There's nothing that says "Hey Fans, my name's Andrew Alberts and I'm glad to be a Canuck" more than railing Dustin Byfuglien, so here's to hoping he just wrecks B-Fug tonight.
  7. Mozy
    <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2009/11/nov1709_chbsmall_smallt.jpg" class="imageFloatLeftFramed">Recently preliminary rosters for the World Junior Championships were released for a few teams and the Canucks right now have three prospects who have been invited to their respective country's training camp for the junior tournament. Cody Hodgson is on <a href="http://is.gd/5aqf0">Canada's roster</a>, Jordan Schroeder is on the <a href="http://is.gd/5aqez ">USA's roster</a> and Anton Rodin is on Team <a href="http://is.gd/5aqdW">Sweden's roster</a>.

    Hodgson who struggled with a back injury throughout the Canucks pre-season was <a href="http://communities.canada.com/theprovince/blogs/whitetowel/archive/2009/12/02/hodgson-cleared-for-full-contact-invited-to-national-junior-team-camp.aspx">cleared for contact</a> the same day he was invited to the WJ training camp. The Canucks prospect shone at last year's tournament setting a new record for points scored in a single World Juniors Championship. He's one of 7 returning players from last year's squad, three defenceman and four forwards. He's going to be relied upon to be a big part of the Canadian team's leadership and with an unproven junior goaltender in net for Canada again, until the man between the pipes proves his calibre, the Canadians offense is going to win this championship. Hodgson's coming back better after winning MVP honors in the OHL and his next goal should be to win captaincy of this team. He's led the Battalion for years, he proved he was clutch and lead the offensive junior juggernaut last year at the same tournament, and he's going to have to step up and showcase every aspect of his game.

    Schroeder is a player that Canucks fans don't get to see play too often. If you watch University of Minnesota hockey, or have access to it, that's a different story. Schroeder didn't make an appearance at the Canucks pre-season camp because he would have had to give up his NCAA eligibility and sign a pro contract. Should Schroeder make the team it'll be a great chance to see how he's developed with University of Minnesota in his time since the off season. The World Juniors is a fast paced and passionate tournament and it'll be a good indicator of the speed and rate at which he can play. The Canucks are moving to build a team around a run-and-gun style hockey. Schroeder is a part of that as much as Cody Hodgson is so here's to hoping he's not another first round bust like Patrick White.

    Rodin was the Canucks 2nd round pick 53rd overall in the 2009 NHL Entry draft. He's been playing the year with Brynäs IF of the Elitiserien. He's likely going to be on the 3rd or 4th lines for the Swedish Junior team and might even see some action on Sweden's second power play unit. If he makes it he could be playing on a junior team with Flames prospect Tim Erixon and Ottawa Senators' Erik Karlsson.

    The Canucks have a lot to look forward to with these prospects and watching Canucks prospects at the World Juniors is going to make the whole thing that much more exciting. In my mind Hodgson is a shoe in for the team pending back injury and Schroeder will likely make the team as well. Rodin is going to be filling in a bottom 6 forward and I see him as having the least guaranteed spot. I'm certainly looking forward to a Canada/US WJHC final. Watching Hodgson and Schroeder duke it out for their country's pride could show us a dimension of each player we've never seen. The pace of the tournament in it's short length makes the World Juniors my favourite tournament to watch. Following Canucks prospects in it just adds to the experience.

    <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2009/11/nov1709_mozy_small.jpg" class="imageFloatLeftFramed">Richard Loat writes for Canucks Hockey Blog and is a fan of the underdog – first Bryan Allen, then Alex Burrows, and now Jannik Hansen. His passion for the Canucks led to the Canucks Hockey Blog and a lot of #Canucks tweets on his Twitter account.
  8. Mozy
    Cory Schneider was sent down today to allow Luongo to get back in the lineup, but Cory on his trip up with the big team did something he's failed to do in all his other appearances. He shone. The goaltending prospect stood on his head to do everything he could to ensure a win for the Canucks and the Canucks let him down in his one and only showing against the Stars.

    Schneider likely won't have many other opportunities to impress, especially if Luongo stays healthy for the remainder of the season. Last year when Schneider got called up he did not look ready. He had a record below .500 when starting for the Canucks and there were many times when he looked clearly out of place in the NHL; One particular instance being a shootout against Colorado where he let in all 3 shots in a loss to the avalanche. This however his only chance may have changed his fate with the team.

    Raycroft's play, indicative of what he's really capable of, is an indication that he's not the same Andrew Raycroft that played in Colorado last season. In fact, as is the case with most backups to Luongo, they have one year on the bench and then go on to find bigger and better things a la Labarbera, Sanford, and Sabourin. My money is on him walking after the season on numbers which will earn him a salary he'd much rather have than the league minimum he's earning right now.

    If Schneider gets any other opportunities it could be his key to a roster spot with the Canucks. Cap issues aside, Schneider needs to be eased into the NHL. His contract is up after this season, and if the Canucks are backup-less come July, which is very likely, and Schneider has made his case that he's a legitimate NHL goalie, the youngster might still be able to make the team on a one or two year deal. Now fitting him under the cap becomes a totally different story, especially with key free agents like Kesler and Mitchell taking priority this off season, but Schneider's showing against Dallas just might have been the last chance he'll get to make a case for himself.
  9. Mozy

    Demitra's New Role

    By Mozy,

    <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2009/11/nov1709_chbsmall_smallt.jpg" class="imageFloatLeftFramed">With Demitra factoring back into the equation it looks like as far as forwards go we're back at square one. The same problem we were going to have to deal with in game one of the season had we not been hit with that ridiculous number of simultaneous injuries. The interesting thing is now that we're half way through the season the players have formed this chemistry that I for one wouldn't want to tinker with. I know Vigneault's a smart man and I have a feeling he isn't going to tinker with things too much either.

    That means the Canucks have a 4 million dollar man and they have to find something to do with him. The only immediate thing to do is throw him on the 3rd line, like the Canucks have and when you think about this it should have some positive effects on the team as a whole. Demitra knows his place on the team. He's a Mike Gillis player and I have no reason to believe that there's bad blood between the two, or between Demitra and the team as there was a la Mathieu Schneider. With that said, Demitra's going to need a few games to get his stuff together and even once he returns to game shape he doesn't have a spot on the top line for obvious reasons, but his spot on the second line is gone at the moment just because there's no point in tinkering with a hot and cold Samuelsson who at the moment is pretty hot.

    So, you put Demitra on the third line. Let that sink in for a moment and then ponder this. You have a slumping Wellwood and a snake bitten Hansen (last game notwithstanding) and you want them both to find their scoring touch. What do you do? With Demitra skating along side Wellwood and Hansen you can't help but think this team now has 3 lines that are dangerous. We go from being a 2 line team to a 3 line team, and the depth just keeps going. We still have Grabner and Bernier to return at some point. But back to the point at hand. Demitra, a former 60 point guy, playing alongside Wellwood could really help him re-spark his game. He's been under the gun for his lack of production and while that third line isn't going to get a lot of minutes, they provide another scoring threat when they're on the ice.

    Demitra can't expect to get his second line spot back. It's not his fault he lost it, but it's just unrealistic at this point to place him there and deliberately tweak already excellent chemistry. If Demitra can play effectively with whoever his 3rd line line-mates are he's going to be doing exactly what he needs to. His role is going to be the same offensive oriented one he's always had, he's just going to have to be more efficient at it in the fewer minutes he'll be getting. He'll also take the point over from Mason Raymond (bless his little heart but that point shot is just... *sigh*) and with some power play time once Pavol finds his game this Canucks offensive juggernaut is just going to keep on rolling.

    I don't think any other team can say they have a 4 million dollar top 6 forward on their 3rd line, but with the insertion of Demitra into that 3rd line winger position the Canucks now go from have a 2nd and 3rd line, to a 2a and 2b line which I don't think anyone can complain about.

    <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2009/11/nov1709_mozy_small.jpg" class="imageFloatLeftFramed">Richard Loat writes for Canucks Hockey Blog and is a fan of the underdog – first Bryan Allen, then Alex Burrows, and now Jannik Hansen. His passion for the Canucks led to the Canucks Hockey Blog and a lot of #Canucks tweets on his Twitter account.
  10. Mozy
    <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2009/11/nov1709_chbsmall_smallt.jpg" class="imageFloatLeftFramed">Edler was under fire at the start of the season for lack of production and after going through a slump which I attribute to him missing Ohlund, he's found his groove again and gone back to playing like we've come to expect of the native Swede. Edler who was taking bad shots, missing outlet passes and blowing routine blue line saves struggled to find his game early on and a very negative plus/minus had a lot of people scratching their heads.

    Edler's play was clearly uncharacteristic and his lack of confidence at the time seemed to amplify the problem. Recently Edler's gone on a tear and is starting to look like the same blue liner that put up career numbers last season. He's vaulted past Ehrhoff, who was a surprise source of offence for the Canucks this season, in points and he's on pace for 57 points this season.

    With 2 goals and 17 assists this season he's on pace to finish the year with 51 assists which is just shy of the Canucks record for most assists by a defenceman held currently by Denis Kearns. The record is 55 assists and if Edler gets hot it wouldn't be unlikely for us to see him get that record.

    Edler is the puck mover this team needs and while the worry around his subpar play was understandable, it looks as if he's turned things around. For a while his problem was made worse by his attempts to force a play out of frustration, but the noticeable change in his play as of late is a sign he's back in his comfort zone. He's got that stride back in his step and he's no longer playing ultra conservatively.

    Edler is Salo's set up man. With Edler getting back in gear you can be sure Salo's numbers are going to start looking better. He started with a goal against the Devils after being goal-less for over 30 consecutive regular season games. The Canucks blue line has the potential to be the most potent blue line offense in the league. With Salo's coveted shot (injury not withstanding), Edler's play making potential and shot, Ehrhoff's versatility at the point, Bieksa's offensive mentality and Schneider's blast there is no reason this can't be the most feared blue line in the league both offensively and defensively. Edler's play is going to go a long way towards affecting the rest of the team and now that he's found his stride again I have a feeling the rest of the defense will fall in sync.


    <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2009/11/nov1709_mozy_small.jpg" class="imageFloatLeftFramed">Richard Loat writes for Canucks Hockey Blog and is a fan of the underdog – first Bryan Allen, then Alex Burrows, and now Jannik Hansen. His passion for the Canucks led to the Canucks Hockey Blog and a lot of #Canucks tweets on his Twitter account.
  11. Mozy

    Edler's Growing Pains

    By Mozy,

    Edler's had an off year. There's no hiding it, in the words of one Todd Bertuzzi - "It is what it is". For the number of people that have thrown him under the bus, I don't think a lot of people realize just why he's having the slump this year. Edler can thank all that he was last year, and all that he's going to be in the future to one player, Mattias Ohlund.

    Ohlund's departure from the team left a huge hole on the blue line that was bigger than just one player as his influence on Edler is clear this season. Edler's had to make his way through this season on his own. It's been an adventure for him, and as a fan you can see him go through the ups and downs as he's developing as a blue liner. Edler went from having someone to look up to, to being thrust into number three defenseman spot where all of a sudden he's been expected to use what he learned last year and become the Mattias Ohlund to another "Edler" on the team. You still with me?

    Edler's growing pains won't be here next season. Once he makes it through this year he's going to be much better off for it, and one thing that's certainly helped is the injury situation on the blue line (see there is a silver lining to everything!). The fact that Edler hasn't been benched (a la Bieksa, after poor play) but in fact seen increased minutes (because of the injuries to Bieksa and Mitchell) has forced him to work through the current situation.

    Edler misses Ohlund. It's plain and simple. What Ohlund did for him is what Tampa Bay hopes Ohlund will do for Victor Hedman. There's a reason we locked up Edler long term. He's having a down year, but when Bieksa returns the reduction in playing time and return of a top four blue liner is going to take the pressure of him. That extra insurance of defensive experience on the blue line (did I really just refer to Bieksa as having defensive experience?!) should allow him to settle in and play his game. The stretch drive is his tune up, the playoffs his stomping ground.
  12. Mozy

    Eins, Zwei, Ehrhoff

    By Mozy,

    <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2009/11/nov1709_chbsmall_smallt.jpg" class="imageFloatLeftFramed">The native German and German Olympian has came to Vancouver from San Jose in a trade that Gillis would have been stupid not to make and with little expectation on a player no one knew much about Ehrhoff has certainly surpassed any expectation I had set of him. He is the most versatile defenceman on the Canucks and his play at both ends of the ice this season makes him the most consistent defenceman. His vision on the ice has led to him contributing offensively in a capacity that was expected by Salo and Bieksa, not the new guy.

    Ehrhoff is on pace to put up career numbers. His career high in goals is 10, he has 5 right now. His career high for points and assists is 42 and 34 respectively. He sits at 5 Goals, 10 assists and 15 points through 23 games. He also is a +11 which puts him well clear of the rest of the team. The German's shot also brings another dimension to the Canucks offense. Not only does he boast a cannon that is on par with Salo, and last years super skills winner Edler, but he also has an accurate wrist.

    Ehrhoff sees the ice so well and knows when to pinch in. His presence on the power play makes him more than just a point shot. The top four blue liner has come onto the team and established himself as one of the top Canucks defenceman at exactly the right time. There was a hole that needed to be filled after Ohlund left, and with a struggling Edler, a Salo that's had difficulty getting offensively started, and injury, Ehrhoff has stepped up and established himself on this team as more than just another defenceman.

    In a time when the Canucks defence, and the Canucks offense has struggled Ehrhoff has come in and established himself as a staple on the blue line. He's defensively responsible, knows when to pinch in on the rush, and he's responsible on the ice. His penalty numbers are few and once this Canucks defence finds it's niche and fixes some of the problems it's having on an individual level the Canucks defense is going to take that step to the next level largely in part to the addition of Christian Ehrhoff.

    <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2009/11/nov1709_mozy_small.jpg" class="imageFloatLeftFramed">Mozy is a fan of the underdog – first Bryan Allen, then Alex Burrows, and now Jannik Hansen. His passion for the Canucks led to the Canucks Hockey Blog and a lot of #Canucks tweets on his Twitter account.
  13. Mozy

    Five Hole for Food

    By Mozy,

    Some of you may have noticed my absence from the blog lately, and it's because there's something very exciting in the works. I'm organizing an event called Five Hole for Food. I'm driving from Montreal to Vancouver playing road hockey in the two aforementioned cities as well as Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Regina, Calgary, Edmonton and Victoria, raising food for local food banks.

    The trip spans nine cities in eleven days and sees us start in Montreal on June 29th and ending in Vancouver on July 9th. We're proudly backed by Molson Canadian as our presenting sponsor and Boston Pizza and I couldn't be more excited to be playing hockey across this beautiful country.

    As we go from city to city we're looking for people to play and with that in mind if you're a reader of this blog in any of the cities we're visiting I would love to meet you and have you play in our game.

    As a neat addition and extra Canucks twist we're very proud to have partnered with "King" Richard Brodeur as a celebrity ambassador of our event and couldn't be more excited, and humbled, to have the Canucks legend not only support our event but be a part of our team!

    Our Vancouver game is going to have participation from the Giants (Jack the Giant will be there), the Abbotsford Heat (Hawkey will be in attendance) and the Canucks (FIN will be supporting us!). If you want to play send us an email to info@fiveholeforfood.com. Bring a can of food an your hockey stick and come join us!


    You can follow us on Twitter at @FiveHoleForFood
    Check us out on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/fiveholeforfood
    We'll be on Youtube at http://www.youtube.c...fiveholeforfood
    Or Visit our Website at http://www.fiveholeforfood.com
  14. Mozy

    Forsberg vs Sundin

    By Mozy,

    With the Canucks amongst the fore runners courting Forsberg, there's been a lot of comparison between the success, or lack of, from Sundin, and what Forsberg will likely bring to the table. I for one was against Sundin for a whole whack of reasons, but did come around and realize that in the playoffs, especially against the Blackhawks when it mattered most, he was our best player on the ice. With that in mind, these top 6 forwards, that are just available, do not come along that easily. You're not going to find top 6 guys like this, of such calibre, who come for literally nothing (just salary, you're not giving up picks, or trading anyone) any time else. It's this reason you have to take a gamble on them, or at least try to take a gamble on them.

    Forsberg while he comes with his problems, also comes with certain factors that Sundin never had. One of the biggest problems with Sundin was that he was off the ice for an entire off season and the first 42 games. While Forsberg's been out of the NHL, he's been training in the SEL and is in as near a game condition as he can be considering he's playing in a tournament representing Sweden at the moment.

    My other knock on Sundin was that he was 39. Forsberg checks in 3 years younger than that, and won't creak every time he steps on the ice. Forsberg's numbers are also volumes better than Sundin. Sundin's numbers were a function of longevity, and no doubt the man was one of the best players the NHL has seen in his time. However, Forsberg's put up considerably better numbers relative to the number of games he's played in the NHL, and it was clear upon his return to NHL in his last go around that he can be a difference make on whatever team he plays be it the rock-em-sock-em robot Flyers have, or the we're-always-just-a-hair-shy-of-the-playoffs Predators. He's played in the Northwest, he knows the Northwest, and the way the Avalanche have changed, they're no longer the team he played with, and they're no longer a team he can go back to.

    Forsberg's foot is always a concern, and so was Sundin's health, however with the caliber of player that he can be, it's a gamble you can't pass up on. Especially when you have a team with so many of the right pieces to be a contender. I'd liken him to Marian Gaborik. Gaborik is slated as almost more injury prone than Sami Salo, and yet when he's healthy, as he is right now, we're seeing him earn his 8 million dollar salary picking up points from all angles of the ice. Top 6 forwards don't come for free. When they do, you can't pass up an opportunity to snag one. The Canucks are a contender, we have a super star goaltender, we have a blue line amongst the NHL's best, we have an offense that is firing on all cylinders, Forsberg has every reason to sign with us, and Gillis (if he's as interested in Forsberg as he says he is) needs to make every play to get him.
  15. Mozy

    From Size to Speed

    By Mozy,

    One thing that's been clear this season, is the Canucks are not a bumping and bruising team. Fifteen games into the season they've faced teams that have taken the body to them and they've been horribly out done. With the Canucks looking like an episode of The Biggest Loser coming into the season, a lot of the Canucks forwards lost weight like the new look Wellwood and Bernier, but some of the wrong Canucks also lost weight. The Canucks don't have a lot of grit, but when your grit players are slimming down you run into some problems. Shane O'Brien and Darcy Hordichuck were two more of the returning participants on The Biggest Loser, and on a team that's young, fast, and light, the heavy weights are not supposed to follow suit.

    Hordichuk in particular was brought in to be the Canucks tough guy. Since coming to the Canucks his physicality has been in steady decline and he now looks like an environmentalist Jeff Cowan on the ice hugging it out, minus the bras and the 7 game goal streak. This year the Canucks have had to rely on Glass, and Rypien, two guys that are far from heavyweights, and they're getting pushed around.

    The Canucks most important games against the Northwest Division have been games they've been pushed around in this season. The Flames batter and bruise the Canucks, and the NW division is not a small division to play in. When it comes to Luongo, the Canucks get pushed around their own offensive zone and when you let the opposing team player get in behind your goaltender on a consistent basis you have a problem.

    The Canucks don't all necessarily need to get nastier, but they need to get smarter. The role players need to do exactly that, play their role. Hordichuk and O'Brien need to get tougher, and the Canucks really need Bieksa to clear the crease when the other team comes into the offensive zone. The Canucks can't all get tougher, but they can get smarter, and they need to. It's been clear all season with the speed of Raymond, Kesler, and Grabner, when the Canucks out skate their opponent they win games, and when they skate to the net they create opportunities.

    In the two losses to the Flames this year, the resounding similarity was that the Canucks go pushed around and weren't skating away from the Flames. They were skating straight into the Flames physical game and they were beaten at nearly every opportunity. Gillis wanted to build a youthful, fast team and as a result it's resulted in a finesse game. The Canucks aren't a team that's going to win teams by physically beating their teams, but they can win games by out skating the other team. The Canucks skated their way to wins against the Blackhawks, and the Avalanche, they now need to apply that to the teams that build their team around battering their way to victory.
  16. Mozy

    Hansen Playing His Role

    By Mozy,

    <img src=http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2009/08/thumb_1249503644619_600724.jpg class="imageFloatRightFramed">It's no secret that I have been a Hansen fan. I fell in love with the guy from the moment he was called up and played his first game as a Canuck in the playoff series against Dallas. It's been an interesting journey watching him battle injury and overcome adversity at some of the most inopportune times to place himself where he is today as he's grown as a player.

    During the preseason Hansen was considered to be a "bubble player" and after being convinced to sign a two way contract his roster spot was all but guaranteed. What at this point can only be seen as, as fortuitous, was Hansen's fist shattering fight with the face of Gilbert Brule. After missing the first 19 games of the season and slotting in amongst those others returning from injury, Hansen has proved that he deserves a roster spot. Since returning he's been a noticeable player night in and night out and has even managed to produce offensively in the few games he's had to play notching 2 goals, 2 assists and a rating of +3.

    He's making the little plays that are helping the Canucks turn up ice. He's mastered the chip-and-go, he's one of the best Canucks checkers on the ice, and the important thing is he's not invisible. Far too often in this season that is still young, the Canucks checking lines have been invisible. Be it even strength or the penalty kill, very time Hansen is on the ice he's visible and making the right play. He's even demonstrated he can turn up ice on a dime and is creating the odd man advantage. Hansen was at one point on the bubble, however his consistent play and versatility as a role player has for the time being solidified his position on the team. You need to be able to roll four lines to be a contender, the fact that our 3rd line is getting in on the secondary scoring is a bonus that can certainly be linked in part due to the smart plays Hansen is making and attempting to create.

    <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2009/11/nov1709_chbsmall_smallt.jpg" class="imageFloatRightFramed">He's over looked quite often because of the other drama surrounding the team, however night in and night out he's making the most of his ice time and the fact that he's going unnoticed, while being visible on the ice and making his presence known attests to the fact that he's doing his job.

    <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2009/11/nov1709_mozy_small.jpg" class="imageFloatLeftFramed">Mozy is a fan of the underdog – first Bryan Allen, then Alex Burrows, and now Jannik Hansen. His passion for the Canucks led to the Canucks Hockey Blog and a lot of #Canucks tweets on his Twitter account.
  17. Mozy
    <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2009/11/nov1709_chbsmall_smallt.jpg" class="imageFloatLeftFramed">Darcy Hordichuk was brought to the Canucks for one reason and one reason only. To be a brute, to crush not just hit, and to chuck knuckles raining fists of fury. He was brought on to either to spark some energy via taking down, or at least taking on the other team's heavyweight. He was brought on as our heavyweight and was expected to use his grit as retribution for a bad hit, a yapping Avery-type character, or dirty play.

    Hordichuk is not on this team for his speed or his offense. His offense is a notch above Shane O'Brien. Actually, half a notch. Gillis said he brought him onto the team because he was a tough guy and a heavy weight, but also because he was not one dimensional. He could skate, had some hands, and could also use those hands to pummel opponents. I remember the Hordichuk that played for the Predators and Panthers. That's the Hordichuk that I thought this team was landing. Unfortunately we've seen the complete opposite of what we expected.

    Since coming to the Canucks his scraps have been Jeff Cowan-esque at best. This isn't hug fest 2010. Last night his attempted fight further put things in perspective. Hell, even Shane O'Brien stood his ground against Chipchurra and put up a valiant effort. I haven't seen him decimate someone the way he used to when he was in Florida. This season has put things into an even better perspective because Hordichuk's orders are being covered by Rypien and Glass who will take on anything with two fists that looks at them the wrong way. Rypien doesn't care how big a guy is he'll chuck knuckles. When you have a guy like Rypien taking on the heavy weights, Glass taking on anyone else, and even Kesler trying to pick fights here and there, there is no need for Hordichuk taking up bench space. He's here to fight, and since he's not fighting all he's doing is floating. This team has checkers and 4th liners a dime a dozen and the team would get more from a Mario Bliznak on the 4th line than they're getting from Hordichuk.

    He's a role player, and his role is supposed to be an enforcer. If he's not enforcing we don't need him. He's not fighting, he's not hitting, and we don't need a floater. The Canucks can use his spot for a number of players that would bring more to the game than he is bringing right now. The Canucks enforcer is getting shown up by two kids that can fight and provide an offensive aspect to their game. He's gone from the multi-dimensional player Gillis saw he was, to playing dimensionless hockey. Remind me why he wasted his summer training with Chuck Liddell?

    <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2009/11/nov1709_mozy_small.jpg" class="imageFloatLeftFramed">Richard Loat writes for Canucks Hockey Blog and is a fan of the underdog – first Bryan Allen, then Alex Burrows, and now Jannik Hansen. His passion for the Canucks led to the Canucks Hockey Blog and a lot of #Canucks tweets on his Twitter account.
  18. Mozy

    Hovering at .500

    By Mozy,

    The Canucks are hovering at .500 hockey and as players return off the injury reserve a lot of people expect things to click and this Vancouver Canucks team to explode to the top and be the team that TSN picked to make the cup final and win the whole thing. This is a Canucks team that time has shown me is horribly inconsistent and the one thing they are consistent about is making it to the Christmas break a few games above .500 and then crushing the second half of the season.

    There's always the question "When is it late enough in the season that you can stop saying 'Oh, the season's barely started, just wait and see what happens'". Sitting 20 games into the season we're fare enough in that we can start criticizing the team for things that they've done right or wrong for the first quarter of the year, but realistically, this is an 82 game grind, and the Canucks have proven time and time again that they start their season at Christmas. Sure they've looked great one night, and looked like the ECHL Salmon Kings the next night. Sure they've played games they've deserved to win, and won games they've not deserved to be in. But when do you start to seriously look at the team and worry about their chances of turning play around and going on winning streaks and making the playoffs?

    My only problem with waiting until Christmas to evaluate them and then hope for yet another Christmas Miracle turnaround and stretch drive is that the Canucks face the unfortunate obstacle of the Olympics. Sending nearly 9 of their top players to the international games is going to be taxing in itself, but with the way the Canucks road record stands, that 14 game road trip looks daunting. There's a time where fans can start worry about the record, a time when you can start worry about not being in division contention let alone playoff contention, but 20 games in isn't that time. The Canucks are lucky they have a record at 10-10 and don't have a record that looks more like the Leafs record considering the plague of injuries they've faced. With players coming back, if they can keep their heads above water and not dip below .500 they're on the right track. As players come back and start to re-gel with their line mates we should have something to get excited about soon.

  19. Mozy
    <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2009/11/nov1709_chbsmall_smallt.jpg" class="imageFloatLeftFramed">

    <p>When you look at Burrows numbers there's no denying that he's been a huge success because of the Sedins. One can't argue though that he's not been partially responsible in helping get up the Sedins numbers to point per game averages that are the highest of their career. Burrows has been through a lot to get where he is and after working his way up through the Canucks system right from the ECHL I can guarantee you he never saw him self leading any NHL team in goals at any point in the season outside of perhaps game one of the season. Yet here we sit over 40 games into the season and the Canucks leading scorer is a tie between Henrik Sedin and none other than Alex Burrows.

    </p>
    <br />

    <p>To put things into further perspective Burrows not only leads the Canucks in goals this season, but he's in the top 10 goal scorers in the NHL. That's right. Little Alex Burrows the super pest turned super hero to Canucks fans in Vancouver is tied for the 8th most goals in the NHL. With that in mind, when you look at the fact that Mats Sundin was operating at about 1 goal for every million dollars paid, when you look at Alex's contract, he's scored so far, one goal for every $100,000 he's been paid. With that said, that serves to go down as we still have over 30 games to play and you know Burrows is going to tear past that 30 goal plateau this season (knock on wood).</p>
    <br />
    <p>If you number a crunch a little you find out Burrows actual worth. Right now, over the 48 games the Canucks have played this season, Burrows is costing the Canucks $95,328 per goal and about $51,282 per point. When you compare it to all the players in the top ten for goals scored this season it looks like this:</p>
    <br />

    <table width="100%" border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" bordercolor="#666666">

    <thead>

    <tr>

    <th bgcolor="#E6EEEE">Player</th>

    <th bgcolor="#E6EEEE">Goals</th>

    <th bgcolor="#E6EEEE">Points</th>

    <th bgcolor="#E6EEEE">Salary</th>

    <th bgcolor="#E6EEEE">Cost/Goal</th>

    <th bgcolor="#E6EEEE">Cost/Point</th>

    </tr>

    </thead>

    <tbody>

    <tr>

    <td>Patrick Marleau</td>

    <td>32</td>

    <td>51</td>

    <td>$6,300,000.00</td>

    <td>$196,875.00</td>

    <td>$123,529.41</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">Alex Ovechkin</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">30</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">64</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$9,538,462.00</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$317,948.73</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$149,038.47</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td>Sidney Crosby</td>

    <td>30</td>

    <td>57</td>

    <td>$8,700,000.00</td>

    <td>$290,000.00</td>

    <td>$152,631.58</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">Marian Gaborik</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">29</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">57</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$7,500,000.00</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$258,620.69</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$131,578.95</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td>Ilya Kovalchuk</td>

    <td>28</td>

    <td>53</td>

    <td>$6,400,000.00</td>

    <td>$228,571.43</td>

    <td>$120,754.72</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">Dany Heatley</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">27</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">53</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$7,500,000.00</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$277,777.78</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$141,509.43</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td>Steven Stamkos</td>

    <td>25</td>

    <td>47</td>

    <td>$3,725,000.00</td>

    <td>$149,000.00</td>

    <td>$79,255.32</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">Michael Cammalleri</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">22</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">40</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$6,000,000.00</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$272,727.27</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$150,000.00</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td>Henrik Sedin</td>

    <td>21</td>

    <td>67</td>

    <td>$6,000,000.00</td>

    <td>$285,714.29</td>

    <td>$89,552.24</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">Rick Nash</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">21</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">44</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$5,400,000.00</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$257,142.86</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$122,727.27</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td>Jarome Iginla</td>

    <td>21</td>

    <td>43</td>

    <td>$7,000,000.00</td>

    <td>$333,333.33</td>

    <td>$162,790.70</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">Dustin Penner</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">21</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">41</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$4,250,000.00</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$202,380.95</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$103,658.54</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td>Alexandre Burrows</td>

    <td>21</td>

    <td>39</td>

    <td>$2,000,000.00</td>

    <td>$95,238.10</td>

    <td>$51,282.05</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">Bobby Ryan</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">21</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">39</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$1,921,667.00</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$91,507.95</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$49,273.51</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td>Patrick Kane</td>

    <td>20</td>

    <td>56</td>

    <td>$3,725,000.00</td>

    <td>$186,250.00</td>

    <td>$66,517.86</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">Zach Parise</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">20</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">47</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$3,125,000.00</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$156,250.00</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$66,489.36</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td>Alexander Semin</td>

    <td>20</td>

    <td>43</td>

    <td>$4,600,000.00</td>

    <td>$230,000.00</td>

    <td>$106,976.74</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">Nicklas Backstrom</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">19</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">54</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$2,400,000.00</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$126,315.79</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$44,444.44</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td>Corey Perry</td>

    <td>19</td>

    <td>47</td>

    <td>$5,325,000.00</td>

    <td>$280,263.16</td>

    <td>$113,297.87</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">Anze Kopitar</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">19</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">46</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$6,800,000.00</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$357,894.74</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$147,826.09</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td>Loui Eriksson</td>

    <td>19</td>

    <td>45</td>

    <td>$1,600,000.00</td>

    <td>$84,210.53</td>

    <td>$35,555.56</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">Stephen Weiss</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">19</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">42</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$3,100,000.00</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$163,157.89</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$73,809.52</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td>Mike Richards</td>

    <td>19</td>

    <td>40</td>

    <td>$5,750,000.00</td>

    <td>$302,631.58</td>

    <td>$143,750.00</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">Ryan Malone</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">19</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">38</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$4,500,000.00</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$236,842.11</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$118,421.05</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td>James Neal</td>

    <td>19</td>

    <td>35</td>

    <td>$821,667.00</td>

    <td>$43,245.63</td>

    <td>$23,476.20</td>

    </tr>

    <tr>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">Patric Hornqvist</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">19</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">30</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$620,000.00</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$32,631.58</td>

    <td bgcolor="#F0F0F6">$20,666.67</td>

    </tr>

    </tbody>

    </table>

    <br />
    <p>
    Burrows is producing well above his pay grade and am I complaining? Hell no. Just trying to make sure more people appreciate just what this guy is doing when compared to the names he's sandwiched himself between in the points standings.</p>

    <br />

    <p><img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2009/11/nov1709_mozy_small.jpg" class="imageFloatLeftFramed">Richard Loat writes for Canucks Hockey Blog and is a fan of the underdog – first Bryan Allen, then Alex Burrows, and now Jannik Hansen. His passion for the Canucks led to the Canucks Hockey Blog and a lot of #Canucks tweets on his Twitter account.</p>
  20. Mozy
    <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2009/11/nov1709_chbsmall_smallt.jpg" class="imageFloatLeftFramed">Through all the ups and downs this season there haven't been very many constants. We've had a mismatch of players, we've been short staffed on forwards, blue liners, goaltenders. We've had a hot power play, a cold penalty kill. We've signed ECHLers, played with the waiver wire, and the only thing that's remained constant in the first 33 games of the season is Alain Vigneault.

    Tonight the Canucks look to string together their first four game winning streak of the season, and it's been the stellar play of Luongo and Henrik Sedin that have pulled the Canucks up to 5 games above .500, but who have also taken the heat off of Vigneault. I was never for the Vigneault extension, and I still thing it was the wrong move. The fact of the matter is that while Vigneault continues to be inconsistent in the result he produces on ice, there's always another scapegoat to take the blame.

    When a team's playing .500 hockey the excuses are all about the players. There's always an individual who would do better, or a player who's injured and considered a large part of the team's winning ways. The thing is, we went through every excuse in the book to start the season. From the cliche "we always run into hot goal tenders" to "Luongo always starts slow" even to "we always play down to our opponents" the excuses were rampant and everyone was blamed from Wellwood, to Luongo and half the blue line. Because it's .500 hockey no one ever things to blame the coach and I think that's a problem.

    Vigneault's preached a defensive style of hockey which has left us frustrated at some of the most important times (like sitting on a one goal lead in the playoffs). The Canucks need a coach that plays a different style of hockey and I think until you swap Vigneault out for a Craig McTavish, or a Marc Crawford (I think he would thrive under the team we have right now) you're accepting .500 hockey and not seeing what this team is really capable of. This team was touted to be one of the best this season on paper. I'm tired of blaming individual players for the team's short comings. It's hard to say that a slumping Wellwood, for example, even if he were to start a goal scoring streak, would result in Canucks wins. It's a team game and while certain players need to elevate their game, I don't think that this many games into the season you can keep pinpointing individual efforts or lack thereof for group shortcomings. So why aren't they consistent? It starts behind the bench.


    <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2009/11/nov1709_mozy_small.jpg" class="imageFloatLeftFramed">Richard Loat writes for Canucks Hockey Blog and is a fan of the underdog – first Bryan Allen, then Alex Burrows, and now Jannik Hansen. His passion for the Canucks led to the Canucks Hockey Blog and a lot of #Canucks tweets on his Twitter account.
  21. Mozy

    Odd man out: Hordichuk

    By Mozy,

    I'm not Hordichuk's biggest fan but one thing that's been noticeable is how his presence, or lack thereof I should say, hasn't been missed in the Canucks lineup. In fact the addition of Alberts has proven that the Canucks really don't need Hordichuk's skillset in order to get by. There was a time when the Canucks all around grit was lacking and there was the need for an enforcer. However as the team has evolved, Kesler's grit factor has gone through the roof, Burrows retained his super pest attributes even though he skates on the top line, and anything Rypien can't handle Glass will gladly take a stab at. Add to all that the recent acquisition of big boy Andrew Alberts and Hordichuk's role becomes redundant.

    When you look at the Canucks lineup you see a roster developed around Gillis' MO of youth and speed. Gillis doesn't go after players that are one dimensional and to that effect when he acquired Hordichuk it made sense. That being said on a team that has enforcers (and I use this term loosely as it's referring to two guys who don't physically fit the mould of an enforcer) that are smaller and can do the job they do the way Rypien and Glass do, that opens up a spot for another player who's potentially more offensively inclined.

    To that end, with the forwards log jam the Canucks have since Demitra's return, Hordichuk's sitting out has freed up a spot for Hansen. Hansen's case actually amplifies my reasoning that Hordichuk's taking up valuable bottom six space when he's playing a role that's not needed. On a bottom six that's struggled Hansen's made the most of his ice time making defensively sound plays and making the most of his offensive chances. Hordichuk wouldn't have scored the back to back game winners Hansen scored. Hordichuk also has as many points as Matt Pettinger does, but he's played six times as many games.

    With Glass and Rypien taking care of the rough stuff, Kesler and Burrows getting in on a dance or two of their own, and Alberts' size added to the Canucks lineup, going into the playoffs I really only see Hordichuk's role being a limited reactionary one. The Canucks have finally found a way to play hockey that doesn't require an enforcer. They've found an equilibrium of finesse and grit and taken the unnecessarily physical element out of the game. Unless the Canucks absolutely need an enforcer because they're playing a team like Philadelphia, I wouldn't give up a spot that a scorer could take for him. With Pettinger on a two-way contract I'd even go as far as to say if there was a further injury to the bottom six he deserves a call up over Hordichuk slotting in. Hordichuk's game is a good one, and he can skate amongst the best Canucks, but when you've got other players that can skate as well and provide more offense, it becomes a no brainer.
  22. Mozy

    On Being a Canucks Fan

    By Mozy,

    <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2009/11/nov1709_chbsmall_smallt.jpg" class="imageFloatLeftFramed">For Canucks fans online, most in the last week have seen the blog written by Edmonton's Dan Tencer following an Oilers loss. It reeks of the bitterness and frustration that Oilers Nation echoes, and after reading some of the responses to his blog like the one by Brian over at Canucks Corner I feel Tencer's missing one other perspective. What frustrates me is that Dan Tencer attacks the fans. It's one thing to attack the team and get off on the fact that they have (and as a Canucks fan I'll admit this) been a little more prominent in the news these days, but to get off at the fans is something that infuriates me.

    What's wrong with feeling your team is entitled to win something? How does the fact that your team hasn't won it all at least once in their 40 year history mean the fans shouldn't be passionate? How does the fact that Vancouver fans hold a high standard of expectation for their team make them out to be "cocky" and "entitled"? Sure the Canucks have never won anything, but according to Dan Tencer that means we're not allowed to get up in arms over any issue whatsoever. Because the Oilers have won 5 Cups, they're entitled to make some noise in the leauge, but because the Canucks haven't they don't hold the same weight with the NHL?

    To be honest what frustrates me is the fact that writers like Tencer create the breed of fan we should be trying to eliminate. We don't want GM Place filled with these passive fans who just sit there. We don't want fans that don't care. The bottom line is the reason Canucks fans voice their opinion is because they care. At the end of the day Mr. Tencer, it's just that, an opinion. Everyone's entitled to one and the fact that so many Vancouver fans make theirs vocal is something more fans should learn from.

    In fact it's the distinct lack of passion and voice that leads to embarrassments like the Phoenix Coyotes. When only 500 fans turn out to a rally intended to show support for a flailing NHL franchise your fans left something to be desired. As a fan we're entitled to support our team through thick and thin, as fans we're allowed to get up in arms over an incident and our previous records should have no bearing on how it's received. I don't want to be a fan of a team in a league that perpetuates this elitism to it's fans. I haven't seen Canucks fans cocky in the days when we had nothing to get excited about but the fact is we have a superstar goaltender, the leading Art Ross candidate at the moment, one of the more dominant offenses in the league right now and every reason to expect our team to win a cup. There's nothing wrong with setting your expectations for your team high. That doesn't make you entitled. That just means you care and you expect a lot.

    Being a fan of any team is about passion and getting your hopes up even when you're not supposed to. Canucks fans aren't entitled. Are they cocky? Some can be, most I'd say are extremely passionate. We care about our team. Just because we have a reason to get excited about our team doesn't mean you need to transfer your frustrations to us Dan.

    Dan Tencer's dangerously close to sounding like a fair weather fan and I'd venture a guess as to who used to drive the bandwagon in Edmonton, in particular on that miraculous cup run back in 2006, but that might be going to far.


    <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2009/11/nov1709_mozy_small.jpg" class="imageFloatLeftFramed">Richard Loat writes for Canucks Hockey Blog and is a fan of the underdog – first Bryan Allen, then Alex Burrows, and now Jannik Hansen. His passion for the Canucks led to the Canucks Hockey Blog and a lot of #Canucks tweets on his Twitter account.
  23. Mozy

    Playing With Fire

    By Mozy,

    <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2009/11/nov1709_chbsmall_smallt.jpg" class="imageFloatLeftFramed">In light of this Burrows/Auger incident, upon reviewing it all, I think you'd be hard pressed to find Burrows wrong. The video evidence of what Auger did before the game and the blatantly weak calls as well as a history of very poor officiating makes this yet another controversy the Canucks find themselves in the thick of. Now homer bias aside, I think the overwhelming response from any and everyone with an understanding of the game (at least as seen on Twitter since last night) including Nashville fans who's team won the game last night, is a good enough sign the league should do something about this issue. We saw them give Toronto a slap on the wrist without so much as looking into the issue, hopefully things are different this time around. Burrows isn't the type of player to make a big deal just for the attention. He's not Sean Avery, he's not Chris Pronger, he's not that type of player.

    With that in mind what's worrying me about the issue is the fact Burrows in all likelihood is going to get a suspension from all this. The winger who's entire career has been a surprise is on pace for a career high 34 goals and over 60 points this season. He is playing the best hockey of his life and all it takes is someone or something to throw a wrench in the cogs and this high powered Canucks offense comes grinding to a very quick halt. Trust something like this to defuse the Canucks and the chemistry they've got going.

    We still have to wait for all of this to pan out, but with the Canucks top line clicking right now it would be unfortunate for the incompetency of a league appointed official to affect a team in the long run. With Auger's poor officiating, the turning of the game from a 5 on 4 in the Canucks favour to a 4 on 3 in the Predators' favour in a matter of seconds last night it couldn't have been more clear that the officiating was suspect. You'd be hard pressed to convince me that the top two goal getters on the Canucks last night were also the two most heavily penalized players in the game last night by coincidence. Henrik and Burrows only had point each last night and the fact that Henrik was in the box on three separate occasions on suspect calls is cause for concern. Not cause for concern because our top scorer is in the box. I'm all for penalize a player if it is due. However for a player who going into last night had 28 PIMs in 44 games to take 6 PIMs in one game without a fighting major or a double minor raises eyebrows to me.

    To put it into further perspective, Henrik had 6 penalty minutes last night. Prior to last night he had 6 PIMs in his last 15 games. You do the math. It's a tight Western Conference and the referees cost the Canucks 3rd place in the West last night dropping them to 7th overall. The conference is tighter than I have ever seen it and at the end of the season, should the Canucks be out of the playoffs by one or two points, or lose a tie break, this could very well be the game that could have changed everything. Again, at the end of the night this is not something I'm bitter about because of being a Canucks fan. The fact that so many people league wide support Burrows is testament to the fact that this is bigger than being bitter over a couple of lost points. I'm worried about the integrity of a league in which we play in if referees are allowed to get away with this.

    <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2009/11/nov1709_mozy_small.jpg" class="imageFloatLeftFramed">Richard Loat writes for Canucks Hockey Blog and is a fan of the underdog – first Bryan Allen, then Alex Burrows, and now Jannik Hansen. His passion for the Canucks led to the Canucks Hockey Blog and a lot of #Canucks tweets on his Twitter account.
  24. Mozy
    <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2009/10/oct28_samuelson_t.jpg" align="left" hspace="8" vspace="2">There was expectation that Samuelsson upon inking a 3 year deal in the off season, was going to be the next Marc Chouinard, or Jan Bulis; the general feeling about him was that he was going to under perform. In fact he's done the complete opposite.<br /><br /> After finding his way onto the Canucks, his 6th NHL team, the Swede has stepped up and led this team offensively through it's plague of injuries. Samuelsson in Detroit was hampered by the fact that he wasn't going to get top minutes because of the quality of depth Detroit has always had. Put him on a team that needs some offense, add skates and watch him go.<br /><br />

    I had high expectations for the Swede, and so far he's certainly living up to them. He leads the team in goals, and is third in team scoring. He typifies what the Canucks needed coming out of the offseason, and that's a player with a shoot first mentality. He's tied for 7th overall in the league in shots, and in the company of players like Ovechkin, Parise, Crosby, and Nash. The Canucks needed a player that was more aggressive on the puck, and he's finding ways to get himself open, and get the puck on net. It's one of the reasons he's getting the puck in the net. <br /><br />

    In this time of injury, Samuelsson's bringing a sense of calm to the team. With your leading goal getter for the last few years out, your captain injured, a injured list that looks better than the Leafs starting roster, and so many injuries that your team signs players that started the year on your second tier affiliate the Salmon Kings, (Matt Pettinger started the year in Victoria before heading to the Moose, and then back on to the Canucks) players need to lead by example. Kesler has stepped up and taken the reigns of this team, but he hasn't been alone, and offensively he's recruited Samuelsson to be his sidekick.<br /><br />

    <img src="http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2009/10/oct27_group_t.jpg" align="right" hspace="8" vspace="2">The Swede's quietly been scoring goals, and scoring clutch goals. He's established himself as one of the best players on the ice for this team night in and night out, and even when the injured personnel return, he will continue to be a key part of this offense simply because the Canucks have always lacked a shoot first guy. The Swedish contingent on the team is a passive one that is not aggressive on getting pucks to the net, and Samuelsson's the key to fixing that trend. He's already showing us that he's ready to play. Once you're past 15 games in, you can't keep saying "oh it's just the beginning of the season", or imply that it's streaky play. He's come up big in several games now, most notably against Chicago, and recently against the Rangers. He's on pace for a record year, and his play not only gives the Canucks a chance, but by shooting the puck from all over he's creating chances all over the ice be it in the form of rebounds, or lucky bounces. Samuelsson is all over the ice most nights, and it's something the Canucks have missed badly in the past. <br /><br />

    Samuelsson's signing is paying dividends now, but this isn't the best of him we've seen yet. He comes from Detroit which means he comes from a tradition of winning. The bandwagon in Vancouver is bad, but the pressure in MoTown to produce a cup every year is nothing comparable to the pressure the players in this city feel. He's been deep in the playoffs in back to back years, and he's one of two players on this team that's gone past the second round. The way he's leading offensively right now is one thing, but once the Canucks get rolling, get their injured players back, and reach the second season, Samuelsson's going to be relied upon to lead this team in a way no one else can. <br /><br />
    Twitter.com/mozy19
  25. Mozy
    The Sedins have been mired in some sort of a slump by many from a few games before the Olympics, until recently. With that being said there's still the thought that Daniel's slumping because he isn't scoring any goals. What's interesting is Daniel's started racking up just as many assists as Henrik on most nights. While Daniel's not scoring that's really not a concern, or at least it shouldn't be.

    The fact both Sedins are racking up the helpers is a sign that they're making the offense click. At the end of the day if Henrik gets the helper and Daniel scores, or they both get helpers and Burrows scores, we're still seeing goals on the board and the Twins are running this team's offense. With that in mind, with the Twins putting up point per game numbers on the 14 game road trip, goals or assists, you can't complain. The Twins, who this season have been statistically not nearly as good on the road as they have at home, put up point per game stats on the Canucks recently finished 14 game road trip and come back to GM Place with an extra days rest and the energy of the crowd behind them.

    Henrik, who led the league in most points on home ice, returns from the road trip to mount a final assualt on Ovechkin atop the standings, Crosby for points on home ice, Thornton for the league lead in assists, and himself as he climbs the Canucks record books looking to surpass Linden for most assists recorded in a Canucks uniform. The Canucks who have been so dominant on home ice managed to find their groove on the road and make their early season road woes a thing of the past, so with the majority of games at home and the way this team gets even better in front of it's fans, the sky's the limit!

    The Sedins have been great on the road after getting over being home sick, and they've been lights out on home ice. With the way Henrik's played at GM Place this year this Canucks offense is going to kick back into that other gear. With every point Henrik records being a new career high it's his time to shine. He's brought himself to within striking range of Ovechkin for the NHL scoring lead and playing at home is only going to give him that much more of a chance.

    It's nice to have most of our remaining games at GM Place, it's even better to have games starting at a reasonable hour, but most importantly it's great to have the boys back home. The next 15 games are by no means going to lack entertainment. I'm absolutely positive the Canucks are going to put on a show as the Cardiac Canucks, which also in many cases happen to be career year Canucks, are far from done smashing career best, Canucks records and personal best!
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